Originally Posted by
bovine
Wow, why buy a bike from a dealer at all in Australia? If I was in a country that didn't allow LBS to give test drives every single bike I bought would be off of ebay, craig's list or the classified.
LBS are next to useless without test drives; everything they sell can be had cheaper on the internet (that includes fitting).
Sweet, how do you get a fitting off the internet? Especially a free one by a state champ? Between them, the Hadley's must have at least 50 years racing experience, if not more.
But Australia is not the US. With all the import/shipping restrictions, you're not likely to get a better deal on a complete by buying off the internet, even ordering within Oz. And the free service that his LBS offers more than offsets any savings. Not only that, but have a look at ebayAU, and Craigslist over there. Slim pickings.
[edit] Full disclosure: I ran a mostly grey market import business/online sales of cycling gear, then went to work at Hadley's. I have a decent understanding of the business over there.